RicelandMeadows

June 5, 2023

This weekend, I attended a Suffolk horse fun day in the Hocking Hills area of southern Ohio. We caught up with friends from 4 states and 5 Ohio counties. I learned some new things and shared ideas from them all. For instance, the tree above is a lilac tree! Who knew? I have seen lilac bushes all of my life, but this is a tree planted around 1909. It was a gift from a husband to his wife. They are long gone but the tree stands as a testament to their love for each other. The fragrance was wonderful!

Our non-profit, sister group, hosted the get together. We gathered to plant open pollenated seed corn using walk behind seeders and a single horse. Men from North and South Carolina, shared their knowledge and equipment with us all.

We did a little soil preparation before planting. Amee and Bree in the foreground, pulled a forecart and small disc. This was Bree’s first time off the farm. She did very well meeting other horses, all sorts of people and situations, even traffic on the road. She has a ways to go, but I was pleased with her.

The small fields were first “laid off” with a small plow with sweeps on it, making small furrows for the horse to walk in and define the row spacing at about 42″. This was made to look very easy, but it takes a steady horse and a man with a keen eye!

The horse walked down the row pulling the seeder. One man can drive the horse and guide the seeder, but in this photo, a young 2 year old Suffolk gelding, pulls the seeder while being driven. This builds confidence in a young horse as he learns a new job. He did and outstanding job.

Bree stands patient (yawning) after doing a little single driving. She wasn’t ready to pull the seeder yet. She is still learning to walk straight and be where the lines tell her to be. She got a little frustrated, but we worked it all out. I will have her understanding her job better very soon. The photo also shows either great conversation, or a whole bunch of “compost” getting spread. My weight loss journey only shows in my baggy pants, but that too will be better soon…I hope